THE COUNCIL that oversees teaching standards in Wales this week adopted a new disciplinary system for teachers.

THE COUNCIL that oversees teaching standards in Wales this week adopted a new disciplinary system for teachers.

It will, for the first time, give teachers the right to a hearing in Wales before a panel of their fellow teachers if they are dismissed for misconduct or incompetence.

Members of the General Teaching Council for Wales (GTCW), meeting in Aberystwyth, ratified a new two-stage process for dealing with registered teachers dismissed by their employers.

The decision followed an extensive consultation with teacher unions, local education authorities and school governing bodies.

Under the rules, an investigating committee drawn from the council and comprising a majority of members of the teaching profession, would first have to rule on whether there was a case to answer.

If they decide there is a case, the teacher will be invited to attend a hearing by a separate panel of teachers from the GTCW. The panel will decide whether the facts of the case are proved and whether those facts amount to unacceptable professional conduct or serious pro-If the case is not proved, the teacher's registration would continue. If proved, the panel would have a range of options. They could issue a reprimand, continue the teacher's registration with certain conditions or de-register the teacher for up to two years or for a longer period.

Under the Human Rights Act,

teachers will be entitled to have their cases heard in public but can make a request for the council to hear it in private.

Gary Brace, chief executive of the GTCW, said, "While we anticipate that these procedures will only be used in a small number of cases, the very fact that the teaching profession in Wales is assuming responsibility for maintaining its own standards is a major new milestone en route to greater recognition and status."

He stressed that the procedures should not be viewed as a threat to teachers. "These rules exist to protect everybody - teachers, pupils, employers and parents - and to uphold the profession's already high standards. If someone is dismissed from one school for alleged mis-conduct or incompetence, it is essential that a body should decide whether they should be allowed to teach at another school. The difference now is that this decision will be made here in Wales by fellow teachers," he added.

Mr Brace said the decisions of the GTCW panels would be based on the principles of fairness, openness, impartiality, natural justice and equal opportunities. Hearings would be in either English or Welsh and every effort would be made to deal with matters speedily. paul.carey@wme.co.uk